float 1 of 2

verb

Definition of floatnext
1
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to wander
to move about from place to place aimlessly lost touch with a childhood friend who spent much of his adult life floating from place to place

Synonyms & Similar Words

float

2 of 2

noun

ˈflōt How to pronounce float (audio)
as in dock
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the crew put the cargo on the float before heading back down the river

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of float
Verb
The team has also floated building its next stadium at the Alameda compound that houses the team’s own training facility, where the Raiders used to practice. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 26 July 2026 During Sunday’s pregame media session, Counsell floated the idea of using a six-man rotation at some point, but that was before Taillon’s issue with home runs resurfaced. — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Noun
For dessert, there are seasonal pies sold whole or by the slice and homemade bread pudding, a root beer float and a berry cobbler with two scoops of ice cream. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 July 2026 The parade will start at Broad Street and travel down Alaskan Way until Yesler, featuring dragon dancers, marching bands and other types of performers and floats. — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for float
Recent Examples of Synonyms for float
  1. hover
  2. wander
  3. dock
  4. sail
  5. roam
  6. wharf
  7. swim
  8. drift
Verb
  • The stainless steel, retro-looking spacecraft hovered upright over the Indian Ocean before lowering into the water, more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) from where the flight began.
    — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 25 July 2026
  • OpenEvidence’s Deep Consult achieved a maximum accuracy of just 41%, while the Quick Consult feature hovered at 34%.
    — Garth Friesen, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of hover
Verb
  • So Frausto wandered around Scripps Park and La Jolla Cove, scouting the area out for wedding spots.
    — Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2026
  • The animal wandered through the house, sniffed a tube of toothpaste in the bathroom and urinated on the floor before leaving.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of wander
Noun
  • Investigators say on Monday, the three teens got into an altercation at a boat dock when Daryl was allegedly attacked with a knife and suffered lacerations, according to the affidavit.
    — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
  • By casting parallel to a dock or sea wall, each chug of your popper will keep it in the strike zone, giving any bass in the area a chance to eat it throughout the entirety of your cast.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 23 July 2026
Definition of dock
Verb
  • The 4,300-passenger Star Princess is the second sphere-class vessel in the Princess fleet and offers several Caribbean itineraries that sail round-trip from Fort Lauderdale.
    — Tracey Teo, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
  • Courtesy Luxury Living Costa Rica Fortunes sailed away to Europe 300 years ago.
    — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of sail
Verb
  • According to Cal Expo employee Jacoba Felipe, around 10 wild turkeys roam the farm when there are fewer visitors.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026
  • In mountain communities like Crestline, where bears regularly roam neighborhoods in search of food, encounters with people are not uncommon, though one wandering into an office building is considerably more unusual.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of roam
Noun
  • Shaking from a quake could damage wharves, piers, buildings and roadway above the seawall.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
  • By the time Noe and his sons were back home and had moored the boat to their wharf on the narrow pass that separated Cheniere Disparue from the mainland, the last low clouds of the front hung over the Gulf.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Definition of wharf
Verb
  • If your goal is endurance, swim laps or walk through the water at a steady pace to keep your heart rate elevated.
    — Patricia Neligan, AJC.com, 27 July 2026
  • The gunk Bondurant observed was likely didymo disturbed off the bottom of the river by people swimming and walking around.
    — Hannah Smith July 25, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026
Definition of swim
Verb
  • Young orcas then gobbled up fish fragments that drifted through the water as their elders tore into what was left of the sunfish’s corpse.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Gorillas gathered by the gate to their den, and African elephants drifted toward their barn.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026
Definition of drift

Browse Nearby Words

flivvers
float
floated
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Cite this Entry

“Float.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/float. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of float for Spanish Speakers

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